


want something done right, gotta do it yourself

by Blowing_minds



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: BAMF Eren Yeager, Badass Eren Yeager, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Reincarnation, and then BAM here we are, basically my mind went:, hey didn't eren like inherit the found titan's power?, huh it's a shame he can't use it, i have zero excuses, it looks like imma have to do it myself, like i guess idk, look if yall are not gonna let eren be badass then, no beta we die like men
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-15
Updated: 2019-12-15
Packaged: 2021-02-24 15:54:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,573
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21800494
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blowing_minds/pseuds/Blowing_minds
Summary: A little known fact about Eren Jaegar: that’s not her name.ORIn which Ymir Fritz is reborn as Eren Jaegar, and she will remake this world.
Relationships: Armin Arlert & Eren Yeager, Carla Yeager & Eren Yeager, Eren Yeager & Everyone, Eren Yeager & Grisha Yeager, Mikasa Ackerman & Eren Yeager, Ymir Fritz & Eren Yeager, Ymir Fritz & Everyone, Ymir Fritz & Her Daughters
Comments: 21
Kudos: 329
Collections: attack on titan fics





	want something done right, gotta do it yourself

**Author's Note:**

> i literally have no excuse man. i thought it would be cool if eren could use the founding titan powers, and instead of just writing him with secret fritz blood my brain decided HEY WHAT IF WE MADE HIM THE OG and thus here we are.
> 
> i was kinda trying out a different style of writing, so if the formatting is a lil janky.... my bad.
> 
> (also the title is a work in progress and if anyone has any better suggestions lemme know)
> 
> enjoy.

A little known fact about Eren Jaegar: that’s not her name.

 _Eren_ is the name of the son born to Grisha and Carla Jaegar, a peasant living in Shiganshina with jewels for eyes and too much fire in his heart. He would have done great things, she knows, had he ever actually existed.

 _Ymir_ is the name of an orphan-born woman long ago, who stared the devil in the face with a smile, and who, by all rights, should be dead.

And yet, here she is. Reborn again to Grisha and Carla Jaegar, as a peasant living in Shiganshina with jewels for eyes and too much fire in her heart. She stares at this deplorable society with a sweet smile on her face and with murder in her eyes, and she vows she will change it.

Eren Jaegar would have been great: this is a fact.

Ymir Fritz will just have to be _greater._

{}

A little-known fact about Carla: Carla knows her child is odd.

Eren, her sweet little girl who smiles at her so prettily. Eren, her sweet little girl who helps her without complaint. Eren, her sweet little girl who never questions her father’s prolonged absences. Eren, her sweet little girl who eats whatever’s on her plate without so much as batting an eye, even if it’s the same watered down stew they’d been eating for a month.

Eren, her sweet little girl who sometimes stares into space with eyes so intense that Carla feels a chill snake down her spin. Eren, her sweet little girl who sometimes steals kitchen knives when she think Carla’s back is turned. Eren, her sweet little girl who has too much anger in her heart and is not afraid of showing it. 

(Eren, her sweet little girl who comes back home one day splattered with blood and a young girl trailing behind her. Eren, her sweet little girl who replies to Carla’s question with, “They were filth, Mother. They didn’t deserve our justice.” Eren, her sweet little girl who grins at her warmly as she absently washes out blood from her hair.

Eren, her sweet little girl who sometimes smiles like a predator.)

But Carla loves her, every inch of her, despite her faults. So she says nothing about the sudden chills, or about the missing knives, or about the anger she sees boiling dangerously—and when Eren brings little Mikasa home with her, all Carla does is smile and make the girl feel welcome, and hope that is enough.

(And years later, when Carla is trapped underneath a collapsed house beam, all she can do is scream at her sweet little Eren to _run!_ and _live!_ and _fight!_ And when Maria-blessed Hannes runs onto the scene and grabs her daughters, Carla can only sag in relief.

They are safe.

As the jaws of death literally greet her, Carla does not truly fight, for she knows her duty is done.)

{}

An extremely little-known fact about Eren: one of the few abilities that passed over from Ymir is her ability to access the memories of her fellow Eldians—she realizes this as a baby when her mother holds her to her chest, and Eren is suddenly assaulted with her memories. Because of this, she tries her best to never ever touch anyone, and gets the reputation of being an extremely fussy baby.

The instant Eren is able, she sews herself a pair of gloves that she wears religiously.

(A little-known fact about Eren: her ability to access humans doesn’t just extend to people, but to Titans too. After all, even they were her children, once.

So imagine her surprise when she touches the Wall Maria one day and is assaulted with the memories of the Titians within.

(Well. That answers quite a few questions she had about the founding of Paradise Island, incidentally.)

She keeps her mouth shut about it even as her blood boils—to think one of her descendants could be so foolish! Trapping the remaining Eldians inside the Walls and then erasing their memories as a way to create “ever-lasting peace”?

Don’t make her laugh.

Eren vows to fix this mistake, even if it is the last thing she does.)

{}

A little known fact about Grisha: Grisha knows his child will be great.

She’s his child, after all, and unlike Zeke, she will be the key to saving them all.

Grisha isn’t around a lot—his job as one of the sole affordable doctors in all of Maria give him something of a reputation, and he’s in high demand—but the sparse few times he is at home, he can see Eren’s fire, so alike his own, and he knows that her birth will be his greatest achievement.

She is everything Zeke isn’t—passionate, fierce, poor-tempered. She fights for what she believes in, be it defending young Armin from bullies or boldly telling her teachers the history books are wrong, and although Carla expresses concerns over Eren’s terrible temper, Grisha isn’t worried.

She has the natural fire needed to start the revolution; all Grisha needs to do is ensure it is tempered.

(From his memories, Eren learns the fate of the remaining Eldians hiding in Marley. She learns of the fact of her father’s beloved sister. She learns the fate of her legacy, split between nine Titan-Shifters.

She learns the fate of her namesake, Eren Kruger.

She learns her father only has a scarce few years left to live.

And she learns the history of Paradise Island.

Eren learns so much from her father, even if she doesn’t know it, and one day she will be grateful. But for now, all she does is _hate._ )

{}

A well-known fact about Eren: she absolutely _despises_ Titans.

Her mother knows it, her father knows it, Mikasa and Armin know it, hell, even the neighbourhood bullies know it. What they don’t know, and will never truly know, is why. 

Only Eren knows that, and she doesn’t plan on sharing.

Eren hates the Titans for many, _many_ reasons. 

She hates them for caging them in these godforsaken walls. Humanity is meant to be free, she knows. Free to run and fly and explore and live. Here, humanity only wastes away, a fraction of its potential. They will live their boring, “peaceful” little lives until they die, and they will never true know the world’s beauty, and for that, she _hates._

She hates the Titans for killing so many people. People who were still young, still beautiful, still so ripe with potential. All that ripped away, and for what? No good reason. The Titans don’t even eat them; they live off sunlight, and for that, she _hates._

But the biggest reason, the one no one but herself will ever know, is that Eren hates the Titans because they represent every single failing of Ymir. The Titans originated from _her._ The Titans are on this planet because of _her._ The Titans are children born of _her._ Humanity remains stifled and caged because of _her._ All of those people are dead because of _her._

 _She_ is to blame for all of this madness. _She_ is to blame for her mother’s death. _She_ is to blame for her peoples’ suffering.

 _Her_ , and _her_ alone.

(A little known fact about Eren: the reason she hates Titans, the _real_ reason she hates Titans, is because she actually hates herself.)

{}

A little known fact about Eren: she would later muse that it was Mikasa who was the straw that broke the camel’s back.

Before her, Eren had restrained herself from actually killing anyone; those who earned her ire were left beaten and broken and bloody, but very much alive.

Until _that_ day.

Her father was actually home, for once, and decided to take Eren with him on a routine check. (He was trying to teach her his craft, telling her often that “it will be useful for what’s to come,” whatever that meant. Eren just stopped questioning it.)

So they left, bundled up nice and warm to combat the merciless Shiganshina cold and arrived to find nightmare.

“Mikasa?” Eren asked, the exotic name rolling around her tongue. Her father nodded.

“Yes. She’s the only other child around here, so try and get along.”

“Depends on her attitude,” Eren said mulishly.

“Eren.” Her father sighed. “This is why you only have one friend.”

 _And I don’t need any others,_ Eren thought with annoyance, but said nothing.

“Maybe they aren’t home?” Her father mused when they didn’t answer, and Eren felt an icy chill run down her back that had nothing to do with the snow falling softly around them. _Something wasn’t right._

“Pardon the intrusion—“

A gasp. A pause. A frozen silence.

Eren peeked from behind.

Oh, dear.

“They’re dead,” her father announced (as if she _couldn’t see that!_ ) and then looked at her sharply. “Eren. Do you see a little girl around here? Do you see Mikasa?”

Eren stiffened.

Oh, dear, indeed.

“No.”

Her father jabbered on, something about getting the authorities ( _psh_ , don’t make her _laugh_ ) and demanded Eren go wait at the base of the mountain.

“Do you understand?”

_Seems I have some vermin to exterminate._

“Eren?!”

Eren’s smile was slow and sweet as Ymir awakened in her chest. “Yes, Father.” And in his haste as he rushed from the house, her foolish father didn’t notice the knife she pocketed on her way out.

{}

A little known fact about Mikasa: after her parents’ death, she didn’t want to live.

The cruel, strange men jeered and conversed around her, but Mikasa didn’t pay them much mind, to lost in her own cold world.

_Mom… Dad…_

(A knock on the door. A choked off gasp. Her father’s body falling to the floor.

_“Why, hello there.”_

Her mother, scissors in hand. Screaming. An axe falling down.

_“Mikasa, run away!”_

Her mother’s body joining her father’s.

 _Please… please…_ )

She barely noticed the knock on the door. Probably more men coming.

(Oh, how wrong she was.)

(A _very_ little known fact about Eren: she is an excellent actor. After all, she’d apparently fooled all of history into believing her to be some type of demure, messiah goddess type figure.

Compared to that, this was child’s play.

With tears in her eyes, she looked up at the animal in front of her, lower lip trembling. “I—I’m sorry, mister, but I got lost in the woods and saw your cabin.”

The man took in her appearance, her large jewel eyes, her long dark hair, her pouting lips, and instantly relaxed.

“A kid shouldn’t be walking through a forest alone! Good thing you stumbled across us! But you won’t have anything to worry about if you just come with—“

Eren smiled, sweet and amused.

“Thanks, Mister,” she said, and pulled the knife from his body. “Now, hurry up and die.”

Her smile only widened as the other animal got up in alarm.

_Yes, come to her; make the chase easy._

_You don’t deserve to live, you damn bastards._ )

A little known fact about Mikasa: even after the little girl saved her, she still didn’t want to live. Not quite yet.

The little girl (murderer, murderer, she killed _two men_ ) told Mikasa, “It’s alright now,” and freed her from the ropes.

“You’re Mikasa, right? I’m Eren; Dr. Jaegar is my father. You’ve probably met him. Don’t you worry, okay? You’re safe now.”

“There was a third man,” is all Mikasa says.

(Here’s a well known fact about Eren: she’s a bit of an idiot.

 _Stupid, stupid,_ she cried to herself as the last animal kicked her away from her knife. _Ymir was never this stupid; Ymir would have done the job properly, and now you’re going to waste your second life you stupid, dumb, idiot!_

To be fair, Ymir was also something of an all powerful being who was matched by no one, but details.

 _Well. I suppose it’s time for some improvisation._ )

Here’s a well known fact about Mikasa: Eren was what convinced her to continue living.

“Fight!” Eren screamed. “If you lose, you die! If you win, you live! If you don’t fight, you can’t win!”

I can’t.

“Your parents fought! I fought! Now it’s your turn; fight so you can live!”

Mother, grabbing a pair of scissors, up against six men. There was no chance she could win. So why…?

_“Mikasa, run away!”_

For her.

“Your parents fought! I fought! Now it’s your turn; fight so you can live!”

The world is cruel. This is a fact that Mikasa knows, that Mikasa lives by.

The world is cruel, so I must be as well.

Fight. Fight. Fight.

(Eren laughs as the little Mikasa runs at the animal with a scream on her lip, watches as she easily pierces clean through the animal’s chest. If Mikasa had lived back in Ymir’s time, Eren thinks she would have made a wonderful priestess.)

{}

Eren’s father didn’t yell at her when he discovers what she’d done. He’d asked her quietly what had happened, and when she’d told him it was just pest control, he’d fallen silent.

“Why didn’t you wait for the authorities?” he’d asked.

“Not only would they have never made it in time, they’re completely incompetent. I was better off doing it myself.”

Her father sighed. “Just… don’t tell your mother.”

“Of course not, Father.”

{}

“Here,” Eren said simply, winding the beautiful red scarf her mother had gifted her for her birthday around MIkasa. “You need it more than I do.”

Here’s a well known fact about Mikasa: after that day, she’s never seen without it.

{}

A little know fact about Eren: spending time with Mikasa and Armin hurts.

Not because they’re bad friends, God no—in Eren’s definitely unbiased opinion, they’re the best friends a reincarnated goddess could ever want. They were certainly better than any friends from Ymir’s life.

No, the problem is that they… remind her. When she’s with them, she remembers.

Eren only truly regrets a certain amount of things from her past life.

Three things, to be exact: her daughters.

(Oh, how she misses them.)

Armin and Mikasa remind her uncomfortably of them. Armin, polite and curious but with a wicked intelligence and a hidden drive is so alike her studious Sina, who spent her days studying in her room instead of playing. Mikasa, stoic and quiet but with a loyalty unparalleled and a power concealed deep in her core is so alike her calm Rose, who watched her sisters play quietly but would never hesitate to lay down her life to protect them if push came to shove.

(And, if Eren is honest with herself, she is so alike her youngest Maria, who was hot-headed and volatile and could never back down without a fight. Her darling Maria, whom she was closest with before her death. Her darling Maria who inherited Eldia and became a queen within her own right.

Her darling Maria, so alike her mother. Perhaps that is why she died so young.)

(Sometimes, Eren will wonder to herself in only the darkest and coldest of nights, if these wonderful friends of hers are less blessing and more curses, designed to torture her. But—surely even the Gods themselves are not so cruel?

She is very careful to never mention this to anyone, and when Mikasa comments on the bags under her eyes, she smiles her sweetest smile and say she is fine.)

{}

Then.

Wall Maria falls, and the story is rewritten.

{}

**Author's Note:**

> like and comment, my dudes.


End file.
